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When You Awake has been chosen as one of the Top 40 Music Blogs by Glastonbury Music Festival for the fourth year running and is a judge for their Emerging Talent Competition.

When You Awake founder Jody Orsborn is the official blogger for the Railroad Revival Tour. The first tour took place in April 2011 and featured Mumford and Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show on a train tour across America.

Eric D. Johnson, lead singer of the Fruit Bats, has given us his “Top 10 Gentle Songs of Devotion and/or Heartsickness.” The mix is inspired by that little ol’ holiday known as Valentine’s Day and features tunes by Van Morrison, Big Star and the Gosdin Brothers among others. Just pick your Valentine some wildflowers, make dinner from scratch, put on this mix and you are good to go for an evening of eternal love and a guaranteed “makeout sesh.” Consider it Eric’s and my Valentine’s gift to you. And don’t forget! Eric will be playing at When You Awake’s Two Year Anniversary Show on February 26th at the Bootleg Theater. Pick up your tix now!

1. Michael Hurley – O My Stars
The little slowed down part in the chorus, the harmony that’s just a tiny bit off, the direct-box sounding pedal steel, and the line “how you undo me…” Makes for something just about perfect.

2. Van Morrison – I Wanna Roo You (Scottish Derivative)
I looked up the meaning of “roo,” and its a Shetland Islands term for pulling the wool off of a sheep. Which makes me think this song is not as innocent of a little waltz as Van would lead us to believe. This whole album (Tupelo Honey) is a masterpiece and pound for pound perhaps my favorite from the Belfast Cowboy.

3. Gosdin Brothers – The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Vern Gosdin’s voice makes me either want to cry or take off my pants. Or both. Seriously, though, this album is a pretty fine accompaniment to a pensive and/or glorious drive up Highway One or a makeout sesh. The backing band on this tune (and all of ’em) is waaaaaay off the charts.

4. Meic Stevens – Love Owed
Sweet little heartbreaker from the great Welsh folk singer Meic Stevens. It’s got that lovely universal chord structure for the lovelorn folk ballad, the one that works right every time if you sing it like you mean it, and he does. In this case, its sounds like it should be belted from the top of a misty mountain.

5. Alice Stuart – Don’t Cry
Had to throw in a representative from the great Northwest here. One of the regions’s great country singers, and one that never got her full due over some excellent 1970’s output. She’s still kickin’, too – she plays monthly (weekly?) at the Laurelthirst in Portland!

6. Little Feat – I’ve Been the One
This first Little Feat record is one of my longtime faves. The whole thing feels like them trying to find their voice, taking some chances and mixing up genres. This is kind of a Jackson Browne-esque ballad that always gets me, plus Sneaky Pete kills it with his steel solo.

7. Jerry Garcia – To Lay Me Down
Its rare that folks would think of Jerry as a balladeer or crooner but he’s got some fine moments and this is one of them. He even kind of goes for it at the end, vocally speaking.

8. Big Star – Blue Moon
When it comes to the simplistic, naive love song, I’m not too sure if there’s a better songwriter than Alex Chilton. This is a fine moment for him in a career filled with fine moments.

9. Chris Darrow – We Can Both Learn to Say I Love You
There are many folk and country rock records from the 1970’s (many that I love) that are great but feel like a curio or time capsule, great vibes but not particularly timeless. “Artist Proof” by Chris Darrow is NOT like that – it feels like a lost classic, coulda been one of the greats but fell through the cracks. Excellent from start to finish, this is the jam that closes it out. Wowza.

10. Richard and Linda Thompson – Dimming of the Day/Dargai
Linda always sounds on the verge of tears from this era – couldn’t decide whether to do this one or “A Heart Needs a Home,” but ultimately decided on this one – love how Richard Thompson takes us home with the addendum of “Dargai.”